Samford House

This house, situated on a 600m2 block in the semi-rural town of Samford, North-West of Brisbane was designed by Bligh Graham Architects. The client’s description of what they required was a ‘fragment in the city wall’ and ‘an occupied ruin’ with a high quality craftsmanship, durable construction and a timeless palette of materials (Bligh Graham Architects 2009). Bligh Graham certainly achieve this with a juxtaposition of city and bush. The use of rendered walls being the city and the use of timber, zinc and hanging gardens being the bush.

This house certainly uses the environment as a filter for living. It incorporates many aspects of passive design such as:

• Natural cooling by drawing air into the ‘coolth store’ on basement level, up through central atrium out of clerestory windows.
• Motorised louvers
• Passive Ventilation
• Reverse veneer on the main level with external insulation fixed to the core filled blockwork with polished plaster finish and good thermal mass performance.
• Mechanical plant with heat harvesting for pool heating
• Low power lighting (LED and fluorescent)
• 10kw solar power sation. Battery storage and grid operation. House then generates more power than it uses.
• 45kl rainwater tank
• Recycled ironbark cladding

(Bligh Graham Architects n.d)

An important aspect of this house is the blurring of the surrounding bushland with the house. This has been achieved by features such as a North-Eastern courtyard which is opened up to by large open doors, blurring the definition of what is inside and out, environment and house.

Delightful is one of many words that could be used to describe this house. The clients have a large art collection which was to be housed here. They wanted this to be their last home where they would grow old in (Specifier 2010). They have certainly been indulged with a vast array of rooms for many activities included in this house. These rooms include a ‘large toy room/workshop and equally large craft room, small pool, large caravan/boat store, outdoor kitchen with teppanyaki bar, and three bedrooms for when the family fly home’ (Specifier 2010).

Reference List

Bligh Graham Architects. 2009. Samford House by Bligh Graham Architects. http://www.architecture.com.au/awards_search?option=showaward&entryno=2008049051 (accessed 15 March 2010).
Bligh Graham Architects. n.d. Samford House. http://www.blighgraham.com.au/ (accessed 10 March 2010). Specifier 2010. Bligh Graham Architects. http://www.specifier.com.au/pastissues/38633/Bligh-Graham-Architects.html